Four of the models are “pop-ups” that will be taken down immediately following the free event, which is open to the public. Parking is available at K2 Apartments, 365 N Halsted St in the Fulton River District.

I stopped by yesterday for a walk through the 2-bedroom model, by Morgante Wilson. The model has a very sophisticated look punctuated by bold colors and large art works.

The southeast corner model would serve well as either a year-round residence or an in-town apartment. The master bath is unusually large for a rental apartment and features a double-bowl vanity and a stall shower as well as a tub.

One of the many interesting pieces in the unit is a wall-unit with a desk from Home Element that opens easily into a queen-size bed, enabling the second bedroom to function as an office that accommodates the occasional guest.

Guests who attend the event and sign a lease within 90 days will be able to designate a portion of their lease payments as a donation to one of the following charities: PAWS, Anne & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Today’s Chicago Woman Foundation, or Design for a Cure.

Echelon at K Station has recently added high-tech conveniences to its complete package of amenities and services. Residents now have access to a mobile portal that enables them to check packages, pay rent, authorize guest access, request services, reserve amenities and more. A new display adjacent to the valet station alerts residents to package delivery and upcoming events.

New and prospective residents can use an interactive display in the leasing office to scout out everything near the location — and enjoy freshly-baked cookies while doing so.

Echelon has a Fulton River District location that affords its residents convenient access to parks, transportation, restaurants and nightlife, and a walk-to-work commute for many.

The new K2 Apartments, a new 496-unit, 34-story luxury apartment tower at 365 N Halsted St in the Fulton River District, is offering a month’s free rent on a 13-month lease to residents who apply no later than April 30 and move in before June 1. That translates to a 7.7% discount on the nominal monthly rent.

K2′s extensive package of services and amenities includes an outdoor pool deck with cabanas and fire pit, a lounge and party area that opens to the pool deck, a high-definition movie theater, an exercise facility with showers, lockers and steam room, a basketball court and yoga studio, a business center with 6 computer stations and separate board room, 24-hour concierge, on-site community garden and expansive dog run, and on-site storage and bike storage.

K2 Apartments, the newly-opened apartment tower in the Fulton River District, is one of our sponsors. The management and leasing staff were just moving in when I visited two weeks ago. Workmen were putting the finishing touches on the amenities level. Furnishings and fitness equipment hadn’t been delivered or installed.

I stopped by yesterday for an updated look at what K2′s website describes as “a warm, chic style and a sleek, contemporary aesthetic … an unexpectedly intuitive, unique atmosphere that is at once both energizing and relaxing, grandiose yet personal.” We’ll await better weather before taking a look at K2′s outdoor amenities, which include a large deck with hot tub, fire pit, gas-fired grills, cabanas and outdoor pool, a dog run, dog wash and community garden.

The main hall is punctuated by casual seating areas. The long dog run is just beyond the exterior window wall, and management and leasing offices are along the interior wall. The deck and pool are at the east end of the grand arcade that leads to the elevator lobby.

Beyond the elevator lobby is another long arcade flanked by the fitness center, a resident lounge, a party room, locker rooms, a theater and a basketball court / yoga room. The walls of the arcade will host revolving art displays and currently showcase Salvador Dali prints.

I didn’t visit the business center, lockers, steam room or bike storage areas.

Meet Karen and Jim, the proud owner of a 45th floor condo unit at 235 Van Buren, and hear what they have to say about the building and the neighborhood.

After close to three decades of living in the suburbs, Karen and Jim longed for that urban experience and wanted a place of their own for those nights after late dinners or a show in downtown Chicago.

They found theirs in 235 Van Buren, at the edge of the Loop. They liked the vibrancy of River North but saw 235 Van Buren as a quieter location with great access to the sports venues they visited frequently.

Karen and Jim spend most weekends at their second home in the city. They’re looking forward to becoming empty nesters, selling their suburban home, and splitting their time between 235 Van Buren and New Mexico or Arizona.

As the cost of rentals keeps rising each year, we wonder if ownership might be the way to go. And here, we take a look at the condominium tower at 235 Van Buren, the new Ralph Johnson-designed condo at the edge of Chicago’s Loop and done some of the calculations and comparisons for Unit 2219, a 1,048 square foot 2-bedroom, 2-bath that offers a 35-square foot balcony. Assuming that the purchase price is set at $285,900 with 10% down payment, and a 30-year fixed-rate loan at 3.4% interest. Real estate taxes have not yet been fully assessed, but are estimated at 1.5% of the purchase price.

Based on actual rentals in the building, according to CMK Realty, the monthly rent for a comparable unit is $2,249. Buying is more advantageous than renting by $274 a month, before taking into account any income tax savings from the purchase. Income tax savings can vary widely based on individual circumstances, and so are not estimated, but may exceed $300 per month for higher-bracket taxpayers.

Early in the sixth year of ownership the loan balance would be less than 80% of the original purchase price, resulting in the elimination of the $125 monthly PMI (private mortgage insurance) premium.

This analysis disregards any imputed return on an alternative investment of the down payment, and any assumed return on investing the monthly out-of-pocket cash savings from owning rather than renting.

This analysis does not take into account principal reduction on the mortgage, which would approximate $29,000 over a 5-year period. It also ignores closing costs.

If rents rise, as many expect, ownership may become more advantageous over time, since the bulk of ownership costs – principal and interest payments – are fixed for a 30-year period.

The video gives you an overview of the location’s convenient access to multiple modes of transportation. You can meet 235 Van Buren buyers, and learn what attracted them to the community, at its video page.

The plush amenities are many at 303 Sheridan Road in Winnetka, Illinois. But the striking Lake Michigan views may be the best, with 3 outdoor balconies, including one from the master bedroom with views of the lake. This restored 5 bedroom classic stone and cedar home was designed by renowned architect, S.S. Beman. Steps from the beach, the home is also adjacent to Elder Lane Park, with its own private gate.

Missy Jerfita of the Koenig & Strey’s Glenview office takes us on a tour of this palatial home at 3737 Lawson Road in Glenview.
This all-stone 5 bedroom, 5.5 bath 5000+ square foot home offers extensive craftsmanship and extraordinary finishes that are evidence in the grand family room, the high-end kitchen, the fully finished lower level as well as the library and the loft space.

Tentatively named Wacker Gateway Park, the Loop’s long-awaited park located immediately adjacent to 235 Van Buren appears to be nearing the final stages of construction. Benches and antique street lamps have been installed, and walkways partially paved. Along the perimeter, trees have been planted, with various other plantings in place or on-site as well. Another section of the park, identical in size to the one pictured above, is on the south side of Congress Parkway.

Also nearing completion is the surprisingly large new dog park southwest of 235 Van Buren. In the interim, the building’s dog owners have been frequenting the main park.

Designed by Ralph Johnson, 235 Van Buren is a new award-winning high-rise condo building. One-bedroom units in the building start at $198,900, 2-bedroom units at $275,900, and penthouses at $339,900.

Flex House, an 8-unit block of 3-bedroom, 2-bath rowhomes priced in the low $400s, is nearly sold out. Still under construction, 5 units have already been purchased. Take a video tour of Flex House and its surroundings with Karen Ranquist, a broker with Koenig & Strey’s Lincoln Park office.

With unusually open, flexible floor plans, the homes offer even more unusual 17 x 34 foot private yards. This new row home project is the hot development in Chicago’s vibrant Logan Square neighborhood.

Ryland Homes works together with Brook Furniture Rental to furnish some of Ryland’s Gilberts Town Center models to enable home buyers to visualize ways in which the flexible and open floor plans can suit their lifestyle. The cost of owning a new home at Gilberts Town Center compares favorably with the cost of renting a similar home.

Located in the Village of Gilberts, in Kane County,one of the fastest-growing communities in the Chicagoland area. The area offers easy access to I-90, the Metra and the Randall Road shopping centers, and affordable new home developments from national builders, including Ryland Homes.

Echelon at K Station in Chicago’s Fulton River District offers studio, one bedroom and two bedroom apartment homes that comes complete with stainless steel appliances, granite counter tops, in unit washer and dryer, floor-to-ceiling windows, balconies, and garbage disposal.

Throughout the year, the residents of Echelon at K Station can enjoy a variety of social outings such as the three most recent events: an after-work happy hour at Bull & Bear, a doggie dip the day before the pool closed for the season, and Halloween breakfast treats in Echelon’s lobby.

Within walking distance from this luxury apartment tower is Jewel-Osco grocery, the Park at K Station, East Bank Club, Ogilvie Transportation Center, the CTA Green, Blue and Pink train lines. Many restaurants, shopping, art galleries and entertainment options are also close by.

With a great location and even better views, Park Michigan is one hot property. Take a look inside with a video tour. Park Michigan’s Jill Dolnicek walks you through a spacious one-bedroom; showcasing hardwood floors, granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, a functional layout and abundant closet space.

A jewel in Chicago’s South Loop, Park Michigan is a sleek, international-style apartment tower at Michigan Ave and Roosevelt Rd. The park, lake and skyline views are tops and the building is convenient to shopping, dining, CTA and downtown universities. Grant Park is right across the street.

Located at the edge of Chicago’s Loop, it’s hard to imagine a location with more convenient transportation options than the new Ralph Johnson-designed condo, 235 Van Buren .

All of the Loop is within walking or biking distance, and the El and subway lines are around the corner, just a few short blocks away, as are Union Station and the Ogilvie Transportation Center for suburban rail connections.

The reconstruction of the Congress / Wacker interchange is great for those who are car-oriented, which has afforded incredibly easy access to Chicago’s expressway grid from 235 Van Buren.

The Belden-Stratford, a Beaux Arts landmark opposite the Lincoln Park Conservatory, are known as a hotel and the home of outstanding restaurants, L2O and Mon Ami Gabi.

Recently with the change in ownership, The Belden-Stratford has transitioned itself into a luxury rental building that offers updated common areas and amenities while still retaining their historic character.

To complement their dazzling grand lobby, the building’s spectacular views, and other amenities, the Belden-Stratford teamed up with Brook Furniture Rental to furnish a model apartment to feel like home and illustrate the short-term and furnished options that are available to residents.

Take a video tour with Koenig & Strey’s Missy Jerfita as she outlines the advantages of living in the Glen. Notable for a wide variety of housing, shops, theaters, restaurants and its Town Center, the Glen in the north Chicago suburb of Glenview is a hugely successful planned community. It was developed over more than a decade on the 1,100-acre site of the former Naval Air Station.

The Glen draws homebuyers with mix of loft apartments, condos, townhomes and luxury-single family homes. The list of amenities goes on from the practical (a Metra stop and on-site elementary school) to the recreational (golf, parks and the Kohl Children’s Museum).

Homebuyers looking in the Graceland West area of Chicago’s Lake View have creative new construction waiting at 1440 West Pensacola. This 3-level, 4,000+ square foot single family home features 5 bedrooms and 3.5 baths. Custom millwork, attention to detail and high-end finishes abound.

Located at 1957 Henley Street in the desirable Henley-Dewes-Linneman area near downtown Glenview, this spacious and sunny four-bedroom, 2.5-bath Colonial has hardwood flooring throughout, an updated kitchen that opens to a large family room with sliders leading to a beautifully landscaped back yard, and a second floor boasting three large bedrooms with ample closet space plus a master suite featuring a huge master bath.